Plaster applicator



Jan. 30, 1968 A. c. GOTT PLASTER APPLICATOR V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1966 MW F i I Jan. 30, 1968 A. c. GOTT I PLASTER APPLICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18, 1966 United States Patent F 3,365,746 PLASTER APPLICATOR Alan C. Gott, P.0. Box 76, Arlington, Mass. 02174 Filed Apr. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 543,227 6 Claims. (Cl. 401139) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plaster applicator having front and rear walls pivoted together, the pivotal connection forming a straight edge and the rear wall having a manifold connectable to a source of plaster, the manifold being shaped to distribute plaster throughout a closed chamber formed by the front and rear walls and apertures formed in the front wall to permit the spreading of plaster on a surface.

This invention relates to a plaster applicator.

It has been customary to mix gypsum with the desired parts of aggregate and water in a box normally located close to an interior wall surface of a building to be plastered. The wall surface normally has exposed rock lath or wire mesh and the plaster is applied to such exposed surfaces. The mixed plaster is manually transferred from the box in a hod after which the plasterer uses a trowel or other tool to transfer the plaster from the hod to the wall surface and smooth the same with a trowel or other tool. This procedure is quite time consuming and hence expensive.

More recently, plaster is mixed at a central location, usually at ground level, and thereafter pumped through a tubing at from 300 to 900 pounds per square inch to a spray gun which sprays the plaster to the wall surface, such as suggested in the McNulty et al. Patent 2,555,238. In this latter procedure, it is necessary to have three or four rodmen follow the pump man (the one spraying the plaster on the wall surface) who use straight edge tools to smooth the sprayed plaster on the wall surface. While this latter procedure is a decided improvement over the first-mentioned procedure, it still requires much manual labor and hence is expensive.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a tool wherein gypsum type plaster may be more easily and quickly applied to an interior wall or ceiling surface and substantially simultaneously therewith form a smooth base coat of the desired thickness.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tool which can apply and smooth a base coat of plaster by a single workman, thus eliminating the expense of three or four additional workmen normally required with the plaster spray gun type of procedure.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the plaster applicator;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational View of the plaster applicator;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the plaster applicator;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view of the plaster applicator showing the interior thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 6; while FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

The plaster applicator forming the present invention includes an elongated member which may be approximately 2 /2 feet long having a straight edge. A manifold is secured to the rear portion of the member and the manifold has a connection which is adapted to be secured to a pipe or other type of conduit wherein plastic plaster may be supplied to the manifold under pressure.

3,365,746 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 A row of substantially longitudinally aligned spaced apertures are formed in the front portion of the member and are spaced from the straight edge and are in communication with the manifold so that when the plaster is forced into the manifold under pressure it flows through the apertures onto a surface to be plastered and immediately thereafter the straight edge can be used by the same workman to smooth the plaster onto the surface.

As shown in the perspective view of FIGURE 1, the plaster applicator comprises a front wall 10 having a plurality of longitudinally aligned spaced apertures 12 of oblong shape. These apertures are in row formation and spaced from the lower edge of the front wall 10. As shown in FIGURE 4, the front wall 10 has a flange 14 secured at its upper end, the flange being at right angles to the front Wall. The flange has a plurality of notched portions 16 formed therein. A rear wall 18 has a flange 20 at its upper portion which is also at right angles to the rear Wall in a manner similar to the flange 14. The flange 20 has a plurality of stud bolts 22 secured thereto. The lower ends of the front wall 10 and the rear wall 18 are hinged together by means of a piano type hinge 24, the hinge 24 functioning as a straight edge. A plurality of elongated U-shaped clips 26 fit over the flanges 14 and 20 and the upper portion of the front and rear Walls 10 and 18, respectively, the clips 26 having apertures 28 therein which are aligned with the studs 22 so that the studs extend through the apertures 28. Wing nuts 30 cooperate with the studs 22 to hold the clips in the positions shown in FIGURES l and 2 to thus secure the front and rear walls together when the tool is assembled for use.

The rear Wall 18 is provided with a manifold 32 which is triangular shaped in cross section and the rear portion of the manifold is provided with a fitting 34 so that a hose or other type conduit (not shown) may be secured to the applicator. It should be noted that the manifold 32 tapers from its central portion so as to provide gradually decreasing areas toward its ends. The rear wall 18 is provided with a partition 36 which extends outwardly from the rear wall into the manifold 32 and is positioned substantially centrally of the interior of the fitting 34 (see FIGURE 6),

The rear wall 18 has an elongated slot 38 formed therein. Both the front wall 10 and rear Wall 18 are provided with elongated L-shaped members 40 and 42, respectively, which are welded or otherwise secured to the inner faces of said Walls, the L-shaped members being complementary to each other so as to form partitions on the inner surfaces of said walls. Additional partitions 44 are secured to the inner faces of the front and rear walls and are posiitoned at right angles to the members 40 and 42, respectively, and adjacent their end portions. The members 44 on the front and rear walls are complementary to each other. Thus, the members 40, 42 and 44 form a chamber 46 which is in communication with the elongated slot 32 formed on the rear wall and the oblong apertures 12 formed on the front wall, when the tool is in its closed operative position.

FIGURE 4 shows the plaster applicator in its opened position so that after use, the plastic plaster may be washed from the interior of the applicator to prevent the plaster from hardening therein and thus prevent any build-up of hardened plaster in the manifold 32, elongated slot 33, chamber 46 and apertures 12. When the applicator is to be used, the front wall 10 is pivoted about the piano hinge 24 so that the flange 14 overlies the flange 20, the notches 16 in the flange 14 partially surrounding the studs 22. Thereafter, the clips 26 are secured over the flange 14 and portions of the front and rear walls 10 and 18, and the studs 22 project through the apertures 28. The wing nuts 30 are then applied to the studs 22 to secure- 3 ly clamp the tool in the positions shown in FIGURES 1-3 and 5. The fitting 34 may then be secured to a con duit which is adapted to supply plastic plaster under pressure to the manifold 32. Because of the shape of the 'manifold and the dividing partition 36, the plastic plaster under pressure is forced substantially evenly through the elongated slot 38 formed in the rear wall 18 and then into the chamber 46. The chamber 46 is quickly filled with plaster under substantially equal pressure throughout its area and the plaster is then forced out of the elongated apertures 12. At this time, the operator will hold the front face of the applicator to the surface to be plastered, the manifold 32 functioning as a handle. By oscillating the applicator adjacent the wall or ceiling surface to be plastered, the plaster can be applied to the surface with substantial uniform thickness and, immediately thereafter, a valve (not shown) on the conduit secured to the fitting 34 may be closed and the piano hinge 24 can be utilized as a straight edge to smooth the plaster on the surface and thus form a substantially smooth base coat of plaster. After a portion of the wall has had the plaster applied thereto and smoothed, the valve may again be actuated to utilize the applicator for another section of Wall surface. It Will thus be seen that the applicator forming the present invention may be operated by one man to apply plaster to a wall surface and substantially simultaneously thereafter smooth the plaster to the desired thickness.

What is claimed is:

1. A plaster applicator comprising an elongated member formed of spaced front and rear Walls, the interior faces of said walls forming a closed chamber, means for securing said chamber to a source of plastic plaster under pressure including a manifold secured to said rear wall, a slot formed in said rear Wall providing communication between said chamber and said manifold, a row of spaced apertures in said front wall, said walls being pivoted together and the lower portion thereof forming a straight edge, said apertures being spaced from said straight edge and being in communication with said chamber, whereby plaster may be forced into said manifold chamber and then through said apertures onto a surface to be plastered and immediately thereafter said straight edge can be used to smooth the plaster on the surface.

2. A plaster applicator comprising an elongated member including a wall terminating in a substantially straight edge, a manifold secured to the rear of said memher, said manifold being elongated and tapering from its central portion to each end with its largest area in its central portion and having gradually decreasing areas toward its ends, and further having a dividing partition in its central portion to distribute plaster substantially equally to each end, means to secure said manifold to a source of plastic plaster under pressure, a row of substantially longitudinally aligned spaced apertures in said member, said apertures being spaced from said straight edge and 4 V p being in communication with said manifold, whereby plaster may be forced into said manifold and then through said apertures onto a surface to be plastered and immediately thereafter said straight edge can be used to smooth the plaster on the surface.

3. A plaster applicator as set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that said elongated member is formed of spaced front and rear walls and said manifold is secured to said rear wall and said apertures are formed in said front wall.

4. A plaster applicator as set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that said member and said manifold are pivotally connected.

5. A plaster applicator as set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that said pivotal connection forms said straight edge.

6. A plaster applicator comprising an elongated front wall, an elongated rear wall, hinge means for pivoting said walls together along one edge thereof, said hinge means resulting in a substantially straight edge when said Walls are positioned adjacent each other, means for detachably securing the opposite edges of said walls together, partitions on the inner faces of siad walls inwardly of the edges thereof complementary to each other forming a closed chamber within said walls when said walls are secured together, a row of spaced apertures in said front wall spaced from said straight edge and cornmunicating with said chamber, an elongated slot in said rear wall opening into said chamber, an elongated manifold tapering from its center to each end and having its largest area at its central portion and having gradually decreasing areas toward its ends secured to said rear Wall in communication with said slot, means for connecting the central portion of said manifold to a source of plastic plaster under pressure, and a dividing partition in the central portion of said'manifold to distribute the plaster substantially equally to each end of said manifold,

whereby the plaster will be forced into said manifold through said slot and into said chamber and then through said row of apertures onto asurface to be plastered and said straight edge can be used immediately thereafter to smooth said plaster on the surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 184,776 11/1876 Grover 15595 XR 684,576 10/1901 Lucas 15235.7 2,178,899 11/1939 Shaffer 15-235 .7 2,638,730 5/1953 Davidson 15544 X 3,197,801 8/1965 Deamond l5-595 X 3,241,174 3/1966 Callahan 15235.6

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

R. S. SMITH, Assistant Examiner. 

